Contents

Jacobs was born in Clinton, South Carolina, February 15, 1877, at the Thornwell Orphanage.[2][3] The orphanage was founded by his father, Reverend William Plumer Jacobs.[3] His mother was Mary Jane (Dillard) Jacobs.[2]

Jacobs served as a Presbyterian pastorate in Morganton at the Presbyterian Church from 1900 to 1903. He then worked in advertising in Nashville, Tennessee, until 1905. After this time Jacobs began institutional support for the Thornwell Orphanage.[3]

Jacobs is noted for revitalizing and rebuilding the antebellum college of Oglethorpe University. He became its president on January 21, 1915 and continued in that position for nearly three decades.[1] Oglethorpe University, named after James Edward Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony of Georgia, had been chartered a Presbyterian institution in 1835.[4] It had been shut down during the American Civil War and did not successfully reopen until Jacobs intervened.[3]

Jacobs initially planned and designed the Crypt of Civilization storage space to preserve information of the early 20th century in 1935.[6] He discussed this proposal in an article in Scientific American, November 1936, because he was struck by the dearth of information on the ancient civilizations.[7] Jacobs wrote of a unique plan to present a "running story" of life and customs. He wanted to show the accumulated knowledge of mankind up until his time.[7]

The date of 8113 C.E. was calculated by Jacobs from the first fixed date in history, 4241 B.C.E. This is the time that most historians believe was when the Egyptian calendar was established. The Crypt's projected intended opening is in exactly 6177 years.[1] This is the number of years between 4241 BCE and 1936 CE. Jacobs projected the same period of time forward from 1936 giving this opening date of 8113.[8]